Purpose of Position:Del Monte Foods is the Foods Division of Fresh Del Monte, a global grower, producer and marketer of fresh, value-added, and shelf-stable produce. Del Monte Foods has a powerful portfolio of brands, including the iconic Del Monte®, Contadina® and S&W®. We are currently seeking a Director, Senior Assistant Counsel - Commercial.
This position serves as a key legal advisor to the North American Foods Division of Del Monte Corporation - Foods Division with responsibility for commercial contracting, business counseling, risk management, supply chain, and operational legal matters across North America. In close partnership with, the Associate General Counsel, this role leads commercial contracting and day-to-day business counseling, with secondary support for disputes, compliance governance, risk management, and operational matters.
Accountabilities:- Draft, negotiate, and revise a wide range Lead the negotiation, structuring and governance of complex commercial agreements including retail, food service, supply, co-manufacturing, tolling, distribution, licensing, SaaS, logistics, data processing, and nondisclosure agreements.
- Serve as a primary legal advisor to the business, partnering cross-functionally with commercial leaders to improve cycle time and business adoption of standard processes, manage risk, and escalate material issues
- Build, maintain, and continuously improve and maintain the commercial playbook with templates, dashboards, and workstreams; drive adoption of AI-enabled contract review; own the CLM platform.
- Lead the management of food-specific commercial risk including supplier quality agreements, cost allocation, indemnity and insurance structures, force majeure and supply-continuity.
- Provide legal support for disputes, pre-litigation matters, investigations, ethics and compliance, governance, ESG, and other operational matters as needed
- Partner cross-functionally with sales, procurement, operations, and other stakeholders to build strong working relationships and deliver practical, business-oriented legal support
- Develop deep familiarity with the company's products, customers, markets, competitors, and regulatory environment, staying abreast of material developments and providing practical legal and commercial advice on emerging opportunities and risks
- Develop and deliver training to inform internal teams on best legal practices related to commercial operations.
- Follow and meet reporting deadlines set by Company and the Associate General Counsel, Foods.
Minimum Skills Required:- Licensed or eligible to practice law in the United States.
- Applicable CPG industry experience, 3-5 years.
- Minimum 8 years of relevant law firm and in-house experience, including substantial commercial contracting experienced a law degree from an ABA accredited school.
- Demonstrated experience negotiating supply, procurement, distribution, logistics, technology, and data-related agreements, experience with governance, litigation, investigations, compliance and ethics is preferred.
- Customer-focused, business mindset.
- Excellent drafting, written and verbal communication skills and ability to adapt legal requirements in balanced, creative and pragmatic ways to facilitate clear and open communication at all levels of the organization.
- Demonstrated experience with commercial contracts lifecycle management, contract playbooks, process improvements, procurement operations and driving automation and other efficiencies is preferred.
- Demonstrated experience with a wide range of legal issues and subject matters beyond commercial contracts.
- High personal standards of excellence and ethics, as well as the ability to act with discretion, strict confidentiality and sensitivity towards issues and individuals.
- Ability to work efficiently in a fast-paced environment, while managing multiple project and competing priorities, meet deadlines, and adapt to change in a dynamic environment.
- Skills to build strong working relationships and collaborate closely with key cross-functional stakeholders.
- Demonstrated business acumen and experience.
- Adaptability, flexibility and creative approach to problem-solving.
- MBA or LLM is a plus.
***Please note: This position does not qualify for relocation expenses.*** 
